Lexi, I doubt there is anyone more professional on this site than you :)
Take no notice of SPQR (Small Personality, Quick Ranter) , as he is obviously jealous !

Kevin's floating carbon tax has taken a second billing now, next to the proposed changes re salary packaged cars, and sending all asylum seekers to PNG.
He is really stooping lower and lower in his desperate attempt to retain the top job.
The ETS will be the least of our worries...

Still, anything is better than Abbott in the top job.

Dear Suse,

I love this poem of Emily Dickinson's:

"He ate and drank the precious words
His spirit grew robust
He knew no more that he was poor
Or that his frame was dust
He danced along the dingy ways
And this bequest of wings
Was but a book
What liberty
A loosened spirit brings!"

As for what the Prime Minister is trying to do?
Fingers-crossed that something good will result
out of all this that will satisfy even the most
harshest of critics. It's amazing what can be
achieved if people work together.

Lexi,

You say blaming is easy, so is recklessly posting untruths.

The New Matilda is unashamedly and consistently far left wing. It provides a slanted and poorly researched opinion on many issues by independent authors with no fact check whatsoever. The IA is similar.

Both NM and IA are sufficiently fruity and cater to the minuscule readership sufficiently narrow minded to shy away from genuine criticism.

SM,

Julian Burnside wrote an article, "Better Media is
Good For Democracy." In it he states:

"Those of us who are torn between the desert of
mainstream media and the jungle of the internet
need a place where national but diverse views
can be found on matters of enduring importance.
New Matilda is such a place. As is Independent Australia.
It would be difficult to agree with every view
expressed in the columns of New Matilda, or
IA, but it would be equally difficult to disagree with them
all and it would be impossible to criticise any
of them as irrational or foolish."

New Matilda has had contributors the likes of
Julian Burnside, Antony Loewenstein, Bruce Haigh,
Andrew Bartlett, just to name a few.

New Matilda is a community-supported media, owned by
Cordell Media Pty Ltd. A company which is not aligned
with any political party.

Just from the comments sections alone - one gets a
wide selection of views. The same goes for Independent
Australia. Still, to each his own. If you don't like
the sources that I cite - you are under no obligation
to read them.

Lexi,

If you are going to "quote" from Julian Burnside, it is dishonest to modify his words to suit your agenda. As a librarian you should know better.

NM and IA are not publications nor news media, they are blogs upon which certain individuals post their opinion pieces without review nor fact checking. The better articles are selective with the truth, many simply avoid it.

Both publications while not directly affiliated with any party, all contributors are far left wing and provide a severely one sided opinion. While as you say, anyone is free to read your links or not, they are also free to associate your credibility with other fruity posters.

SM,

New Matilda and Independent Australia are part of the
independent media in this country and although
you may not approve of some of their articles
don't insult my intelligence by suggesting that
you really believe that all of the articles are biased,
irrational, or foolish. People like Julian Burnside
are highly admired, as are writers like Antony Loewenstein
(who got his break with New Matilda).
I can understand it would
be difficult to agree with every view that's expressed,
but as Burnside stated - it would be equally difficult
to disagree with them all. Without Independent media in
this country we would get a very narrow, limited, biased,
points of view. And BTW - I do quote from other sources.
Check my posting record. New Statesman, The Age, Sydney
Morning Herald, New York Times, Australian
Financial Review, various government agencies, Australian
Bureau of Statistics, various books, and so on.

A democracy only works when it has a wide variety of
media choices and not only ones that are owned by a select
group - controlling news and information - and presenting only
one point of view.

And as for me being a "fruity" contributor?
Well - fruit creates many delicious jams.
But a cactus is simply full of pricks!